Anti-colic nursing device



y 1955 B. w. TICHY ANTI-COLIC NURSING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 30, 1953 Fig.

Fig. 2

I///AI/ P illlllllr INVENTOR.

BERNARD W. TICHY 4 AGENT y 1956 B. w. TICHY ANTI-COLIC NURSING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 30, 1953 Fig. 5

Fig. 4

Fig. 6

INVENTOR. BERNARD W. TICHY AGENT ANTI-COLIC NURSING DEVICE Bernard W. Tichy, Westbury, N. Y. Application September 30, 1953, Serial No. 383,306

9 Claims. (Cl. 128-252) This invention relates to valve and siphon attachments particularly suitable for nursing bottles.

Infants are commonly fed with a bottle capped with a flexible nipple. The milk or formula contained in the bottle is fed by gravity to an orifice at the tip of the nipple which is sucked by the infant and as a result of the vacuum thereby created, the liquid is drawn into the infants mouth.

Among the disadvantages of this type of apparatus are the following:

1. The bottle has to be held in an inverted position which is awkward and causes considerable strain on the part of the baby, particularly with older babies who are thus constrained by conventional nursing apparatus to drink the liquid while reclining rather than in the more comfortable and healthful upright position.

2. .It is believed responsible for a common type of colic in infants, known as aerophagia (air swallowing). Causes of air swallowing include collapsing of the nipple requiring excessive sucking action, and the partial filling of the nipple with air rather than replacement with liquid as liquid is withdrawn.

The use of the apparatus of this invention permits the baby to drink milk or other liquid from a standard nursing bottlewhile maintaining the bottle in any position thus permitting the child to drink the liquid while sitting upright resulting in little strain on delicate arm and neck muscles; In addition, a valve means is provided which prevents collapse of the nipple by maintaining the internal portion of the nipple filled with liquid.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an attachment which may be fitted to a nursing bottle to transfer the liquid from the bottom portion of the bottle to the nipple in such a manner that the bottle may be maintained with the nipple end of the bottle upward so as to permit the user to imbibe the liquid while in a sitting position.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a nursing bottle arrangement which minimizes the swallowing of air by the user.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a simple, easily cleaned, low-cost siphon and check valve attachment for a nursing bottle.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an 'efiicient, low-cost, easily cleaned check valve for a nursing' bottle.

United States Patent 2,744,529 Patented May 8, 1956 In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 shows, partly in section, a bottle containing an apparatus of this invention;

Figure 2 is a section showing in detail a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of this invention.

Figure 3 shows partially sectioned an alternate construction of the device of this invention.

Figure 4 shows in cross-section a modification of this invention.

Figure 5 discloses a cap for a nursing bottle for use with the apparatus of this invention.

Figure 6 shows pictorially a preferred orifice construction and drill for forming said orifice.

Referring now to the figures, 2 represents a bottle having an open neck portion 4 provided with threads 6. A flexible rubber nipple 8 is provided with a flange portion 10 which is compressed against surface 12 of bottle 2 by means of internally threaded collar 14. Plug 16 described hereinafter in greater detail is gripped by the internal walls of nipple 8.

In operation the baby sips on the nipple 8, thus causing liquid to flow through tube 22 and lift plastic ball 24 from ball seat 26 which is formed by the square cut end of vinyl plastic tubing. The liquid fills the inside of nipple 8. Any tendency of the liquid to return is checked by the return of the ball 24 to the seat 26. The reseating of ball 24 serves to trap liquid in the nipple. The normal feeding technique results in the application of pressure on the nipple causing the liquid to be forced through the nipple orifices with a minimum of sucking action, thus minimizing the swallowing of air. The cycle is then repeated. Ball 24 is caged in hole 30 by means of prongs 32 formed by heat distorting three points on the edge of hole 30. Care must be exercised not to form a complete seat for the ball. The vinyl plastic tube is of sufficient diameter to close the other end of hole 30. Ball 24 is of larger diameter than the bore of tubing 22 but of lesser diameter than hole 30. Optionally, a small weight 36, which may be formed of a plastic or a chemically resistant metal such as stainless steel, isprovided at the end of the tube to permit the siphon to recover liquid from the lower corner of bottle 2 when it is held at an angle with its contents nearly exhausted or when held in an inverted position. Vinyl tubing of a grade commonly used for medical purposes is preferred as it is sufficiently flexible to permit the tube to fold back on itself. While vinyl tubing is preferred, other flexible plastic tubing such aspolyethylene may be used.

Reasonable dimensional clearance need be provided for the plastic ball. By way of example:

Tubing having a 0.10 inch internal bore and an outer diameter of 0.137 inch has been found satisfactory in conjunction with a hole 30 of 0.140 inch diameter and a ball of 0.125 inch diameter. Nylon and methyl methacrylate balls have been found satisfactory for this application.

Tube 22 is sealed to plug 16 by an adhesive but may also be attached by dielectric heating. If the adhesive method is used countersunk portion 38 should be incor porated in order to permit a stronger bond between parts.

Plug 16 is provided with an annular recess 40 to ac- 'commodate ridge 42 which is frequently anintegrally molded part of nipple 8. If the nipple does not have such a ridge a tightly fitted plug of the shape shown has been found to cause sufficient distortion so that the nipple wall forms an arcuate portion 44 which acts to lock the plug in place. Corner 48 is preferably broken to permit ready introduction of the plug into the nipple.

It should be noted that the plug 16 stitfens the nipple thus extending the useful life of nipples which would otherwise collapse upon the application of the sucking action. The action of the valve inkeeping the nipple filled is also helpful in thisregard.

In Figure 3 there is shown an alternate plug portion having an integrally formed valve seat 52 and a stem 54 over which the tube.22.may:be slipped and fastened by conventional means. The plug itself may be formed by molding to shape or by machining from a molded bar.

The plug including the check valve ball and a small piece of tubing to serve as a check valve seat may be used, without tube 22. This arrangement is useful wherein the apparatus is used by infants feeding in a reclining position.

An alternate construction is shown in Figure 4 wherein plug 16 is provided with a tightly fitted flange member 62 which can be seated between the top 12 of the bottle 2 and flexible nipple 8. As shown, the flange is a rubber or flexible plastic washer which may he slipped onto the plug 16. Alternately, the plug and flange may be molded of one piece.

A domed cover 70 is provided as is shown in Figure 5 which will enclose the device in case it is desired to sterilize all components including the liquid at one time The tube 72 is shown compressed into dome 70.

Alternately to caging the ball by deforming hole 30 a stepped drill 80 may be used to form the stepped hole 82 shown in Figure 6, and then openings 84 punched out of the top portion to permit liquid to pass when ball is seated against the top.

While I have illustrated and described what is presently the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed, and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent 1. An apparatus for use with nursing bottles comprising: a cylindrical member provided with a cylindrical cavity axially deployed; a freely moving ball in said cavity; means to cage said ball in said cavity; a length of flexible tubing; a portion of said tubing being sealed into said cavity so as to provide, in cooperation with said ball, a substantially liquid tight seal; and a weight attached to one end of said tubing.

2. An apparatus for use with nursing bottles comprising: a member provided with a cavity and an annular recess; a freely moving ball caged in said cavity; means to provide a substantially liquid tight seal in cooperation with said ball; a length of flexible tubing, a portion of said tubing being sealed into a'portion of said cavity so as to provide, in cooperation with said ball, a substantially liquid tight seal; and a weight attached to one end of said tubing.

3. An apparatus for use with nursing bottles comprising: a cylindrical member provided with an axially deployed cavity and an annular recess deployed in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said cylindrical member; a freely moving ball in said cavity; means to cage said ball in said cavity; means to provide a substantially liquid tight seal in cooperation with said ball; a length of flexible tubing having a bore contiguous with said cavity; and a weight attached to one end of said tubing, said tubing being sutficiently flexible to be bent inside of said nursing bottles by said weight so as to hang downward when said bottle is inverted.

4. An apparatus for use withnursingbottles comprising: a plug adapted for insertion into a nipple which is provided with a cavity open at two places; a ball inserted in said cavity; means for partially closing one of said openings so as to cage said ball; and means adapted to cooperate with said ball to seal the other of said openings substantially tight; said plug being provided with a protruding tubular portion adapted for the attachment of a flexible tube and a flexible tube attached to said tubular portion so that the boreof said tube and said cavity are continuous.

5. A device for use with nursing apparatus of the type having a nipple provided with a flange adapted to be compressed against the open neck of the bottle so as to close said bottle, comprising: a flat compressible member provided with a cavity and adapted to be sealed between said nipple and said bottle; a ball caged in said cavity; and means adapted to cooperate with said ball to sealingly close said cavity.

6. A device for use with nursing apparatus of the type having a nipple provided with a flange adapted to be compressed against the open neck of the bottle so as to close said bottle, comprising: a flat compressible member provided with a cavity and adapted to be sealed between said nipple and said bottle; a ball caged in said cavity and means adapted to cooperate with said ball to sealingly close said cavity; and a tube having its bore contiguous with said cavity attached to said member.

7. A device for use with nursing apparatus of the type having a nipple provided with a flange adapted to be compressed against the open neck of the bottle so as to close said bottle, comprising: a flat compressible member provided with a cavity and adapted to be sealed between said nipple and said bottle; a ball caged in said cavity; and means adapted to cooperate with said ball to sealingly close said cavity; and a tube having its bore contiguous with said cavity attached to said member, and a weight attached to said tube.

8. An apparatus for use with nursing bottles comprising: a member provided with an axially deployed cavity and an annular recess deployed in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said member; a freely moving ball caged in said cavity; means to provide, in cooperation with said ball, a substantially liquid tight seal; and a flat resilient annular element extending from said annular recess and compressing said member.

9. An apparatus for use with nursing bottles comprising: a cylindricalmember provided with an axially deployed cavity and an annular recess deployed in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said cylindrical member; a freely moving ball in said cavity; means to cage said ball in said cavity; means to provide a substantially liquid tight seal in cooperation with said ball; a length of flexible tubing having a bore contiguous with said cavity; and a weight attached to one end of said tubing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,597,483 Head May 20, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 27,652 Germany June 25, 1884 365,984 Great Britain Ian. 28, 1932 

